I consider myself a straight shooter. In my dealings with clients and others, I usually call it like it is. That means saying NO when it is necessary. Yes, I "Tell it like it is." Checkout the below perspective

How many times have you read or talked about the merits of working late, always being on call, working with difficult clients, and dealing with bad banks? 10...50...1000? I'll bet we've all thought about...

Taking a phone call from a client at 9PM because we feel we have to

Being on demand 14 hours a days because we feel we have to

Working with an unreasonable buyer or seller because we feel we have to

Dealing with a irrational bank because we feel we have to

Guess what?

The best way to cure that feeling of "I just have to!" is to say, emphaticly

NO!

That's right, you read it correctly. You just say "No". It's incredibly powerful and liberating when you look at your phone, recognize the number and...don't pick it up. You're saying - "No, I'm not going to answer that right now." Suddenly there's no sense of urgency. No panic. No stress. Whatever it is, it can be taken care of tomorrow.

The next time to meet a buyer with unreasonable expectations wants to waste your time with a day full of showings, just say "No". When you do, tell them why. They will either appreciate the honesty and shape up or walk away. Either way, you're in control of you.

The next time a seller wants you to advertise their overpriced listing one more time, just say "No". Tell them why. The house won't sell anyway at their price so why waste your money and time marketing it. Again, either they'll appreciate the honesty or they'll cancel the listing. Either way, you retain control.

When you take control of yourself by refusing to cater to the whims of those around you, the chaotic stress in your life melts away. You then have the capacity to do your job right, live your life, and find balance. The clients you have must respect your life and your. If not, just say "No" and get that respect back from them and for yourself.